Shank stiffener for shoes



Oct. 9, 1951 c. H. GRIMSHAW 2,570,795

' SHANK STIFFE'INER FOR SHOES Filed March 1, 1950 .I R 25 2'7 n 258 Zinnentor CHARLES H. GRIMSHAW Patented Oct. 9, 1951 UN'IYT'ED- STATES PATENT OFFICE SHANKSTIFFENER FOR SHOES Charles H. Griinshaw, Kalamazoo,,Mich.

Application March 1, 1950, SerialNm 1473038 4- Claims.

This. invention relates. ingeneral. to a shank stifiener for a shoe having a heel, and more specifically to a type thereof securable to the bottom of the shoe sole, and having adjustable means for regulating theamountcf support.

It is a well established fact that the shank of. an. average-shoe worn by a. relatively heavy person: will breakdown after a short period of wear. Once the shank ina shoe-is broken down or flattened the. shoe not only becomes uncomfbrtablebutal'so may permit injury to the arch of the person wearing the shoe.

Many attempts have been made to re-enforce the shanks-of'shoes with various types of built-in, or insertable, arch supports andishank stiffeners. While these supports have afforded. some comfort forth'e'average' weight person, none'ofthem allow for regulation or adjustmentof the amount of support according to that needed" by the wearer: Further; few support-s will stand up under'theconstant"strainexertedby-the weight of alieavy individual:

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation view of my invention-as applied" to the sole of a shoe.

Figure 2 is atop plan view of the base plate.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of my invention with an alternate type spring" shownin broken lines.

Figure 4- is a sectional view taken along; line l'V--W of Figure 3.

Figure5 is a sectional view: taken along line VV of l figurefi.v

Figure GflSFB; seetiorrtakenon an enlarged-scale along line VI -.-VI ofFi'gure 3;

Figure 7 is an oblique viewof the adjustment plate;

Construction As shown inFigures 2,. 3;. 4, and 6- the shank stiffener lucomp'rises a T-'-shapedbase plate H, a-doubleleaf spring I12 withleaves f3 and I3a, a

' saddle. member [.4 and). an. adjustment plate. I5.

Still further,- persons with weak arches often 7 findgreater comfort if the amount of support can be-regulated to-theirparticularneecls, which regulation is" not convenient with the convent'ional" form of support.

Accordingly; a-primary object of this invention is-the provision of-a' shank stiii'ener'with' adjustable-mean for regulating the amount of support to'theneed's of the'wearer'ofthe shoe.

A1 further object" of' this invention isthe provision off an adjustable shank stiffener'that may be secured; to the bottom of the shoe sole.

Another. object of this invention is the provisionof 'a shank stiffener that will support the shankpf ashoe that is worn by a person of 'relatively heavy weight.

A further object of. this invention. is the provision of an adjustable shank stiffener that is simple to adjust and inexpensive to manufacture, and which can be mounted on a standard shoe.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will be apparentto those Who are. familiar with this type of device upon examining the accompanying drawings and reading the following disclosure.

In carrying out the. above objects of my invention Lhave provided a shank stiffener having a double leaf spring. secured to a base plate. Anadjustmentplate with an adjustment screw is positioned. atone end oiisaid double leaf spring and i securedinposition by means of a saddle member. whichis securedto said base plate.

In. describing. the invention. the terms forwardly and rearwardly will refer to the directions toward thetoe or toward theheelof the shoe, respectively.

The base: plate II (Figures 2, 4 and 6)- is T- shaped having acentral portion Iii-with flanges l1 and- Ma extending. sidewardly perpendicularly therefromat the rearward end l8: thereof.

A pair of cars ["9 and I911 extend sidewardly from. saidcentral portion- IB at the-forward end Z-Othereoi I The-double leaf spring l2,.which-is made of a strong. but fiexible material, such'as spring steel, has an upper leaf I3 of substantially the same length and Width as the central portion [6. The lower leaf 13a differsfromthe upper leaf l3 in that it is longer than the plate H. The double spring I2 is positioned on the plate l-l' so that its rearward end 21 (Figure 6), lies on top of and is aligned with the rearward end 18" of the plate II. The spring I2" is" secured to the base plate at its forward end 20' by the'ears l9 and l9a'which are folded'over the leaves'of spring 12, and abutsat itsrearwa'rd end an ear 23 which extend perpendicularly from the rear endl8 of th'e'plate it Figure 6.

The saddle member I4 (Figure 5) has a raised center portion. 24; with flanges 25' and 250i extending. sidewardly therefrom, and is positioned with respect to said base". plate H so that its rear end 26 (Figure 6), lies above and. is substantially aligned with the rear end' IB'ofthe base plate 1 l and the rear end 2'! of'the double leaf spring l2. The center portionl lhas a recess 21 (Figures 4 and 5),,a1ong its lbwer'portion thatis adapted to straddle the double leaf spring I2 when the saddle member If. is secured to the base plate. The saddle member is attached to the base plate by means of the flanges IT and Ma, which are folded over the flanges 25 and 25a of the saddle member.

.The adjustment plate i5 (Figure 7), which may be made of aluminum with highly rigid characteristics, is substantially rectangular in shape and has two upwardly extending stop bosses 34 and 35 secured to the upper surface thereof near its rear end 33. A threaded hole 3! (Figures 6 and 7), is provided through the plate I5 between said bosses 34 and 35 for reception of an adjustment screw 35. The adjustment plate I5 is smaller in length and width but greater in thickness than the base plate Ii.

The raised center portion 24 of the saddle member forms a channel 29 to slidably receive and straddle the adjustment plate I5 when said plate is positioned on the double leaf spring I2.

A recess 3|, in the end 26 (Figure 6), of the raised center portion 24 of the saddle it, extends slightly more than half way through said member, and is shaped to slidably receive the bosses 34 and 35 on the adjustment plate I5.

The walls 38, 38a and 38b of the recess 35 and channel 29 (Figures 8 and 4) are beveled slightly and the sidewalls 39, 39a (Figure '7), of the adjustment plate I5 and the front walls 4%) and 49a of the bosses 34 and 35 are beveled correspondingly to form a dovetail joint between saddle member I4 and adjustment plate H5.

The notch 39 (Figure 3), which is cut into the end wall 382) of the recess 3 i is adapted to receive the head of the adjustment screw 36.

The double leaf spring I2 specifically described herein is only one of many that may be used in this invention. Other types of springs may be employed in accordance with the amount of support desired. For example, the size of the leaves I3 and Isa may be extended, as illustrated by the alternate form 42 shown by the broken line in Figure 3.

The shank stiffener I9 is secured to a shoe, adjacent to the heel 44, by screws A5 and 45a extending through the sole 43, the flanges 25 and 25a of the saddle member M, and the flanges IT and Ila of the base plate ii. By tightening appropriate nuts on the said screws 45 and 45a, the

shank support IQ is snugly secured against the arch of the shoe, as shown in Figure 1, thereby producing an initial tension in the double leaf spring I 2. The support II; is now ready for operation.

Operation The adjustment plate I5, which is slidable in the recess 3! may be secured in any desired position by tightening the adjustment screw 38.

When the shoe is worn, the weight of the wearer produces a downward force on the shank of the shoe. The double leaf spring which is held in tension exerts an upward force on the shank of the shoe, thus tending to counteract the said downward force and thereby preserving the shoes original shape.

The amount of support furnished by the shank stiffener may be regulated by sliding the adjustment plate forwardl or baclrwardly and by appropriate adjustment of the screw 36.

When the adjustment screw 36 is tightened, the threaded end of the screw will move toward the leaf spring I 2 until it contacts the lower sur-- face of the spring leaf I3. Once contact is established between the screw 36 and the spring leaf I3, further tightening of the screw will tend to urge the rearward end 33 of the adjustment plate away from the leaf spring I2.

The saddle member 24, which straddles the adjustment plate I5 forewardly of the screw 36, preventsmovement of the straddled portion of the adjustment plate away from the leaf spring 52 and thus acts as a fulcrum producing movement of the foreward end of the adjustment plate I5 toward the leaf spring when the rearward end 33 of the plate 55 is urged away from the shank of the shoe.

Since the forward end of the adjustment plate I 5 is in contact with the leaf spring I2, the force imposed upon the forward end of the adjustment plate will also be imposed upon the leaf spring thus urging it against the shank of the shoe.

The amount of support may be further regulated by moving the adjustment plate I5 for wardly, thus adding more support to the double leaf spring I2.

The amount of support furnished by the shank stiffener I u may further be varied by employing different size leaf springs, such as the alternate leaf 32 shown in Figure 2. By using a larger leaf the force exerted upon the shank may be more widely distributed allowing for lesser unit pressure and thus more comfort.

Although the above mentioned drawings and description apply to one particular preferred embodiment of the invention, it is not m intention, implied or otherwise, to eliminate other variations or modifications which do not depart from the scope of the invention unless specifically stated to the contrary in the hereinafter appended claims.

I claim: 7

1. In a shank stiffener securable to the sole of a shoe adjacent to the heel thereof, the combination: a base plate; a saddle member secured to said base plate near one end thereof, said member having .a raised portion with recess in one edge thereof; a flat spring disposed between said base plate and the raised portion of said member, said spring being secured to said base plate; an adjustment plate disposed between said spring and the raised portionof said saddle; and a screw through said adjustment plate, near one end thereof and disposed within said recess; whereby movement of said screw effects a variation in the pressure between the spring and the end of the adjustment plate remote from the screw.

2. In a shank stiffener securable to the bottom of the sole of a shoe adjacent to the heel thereof, the combination comprising: a base plate having a pair of sidewardly extending flanges near one end thereof; a double leaf spring secured upon, and extending beyond the other end of, the base plate; an elongated saddle member crosswise of said base plate and having a raised portion intermediate its ends straddling said spring, said saddle ends being sec red to said flanges, and said raised portion having a notch adjacent to said spring and a recess along the edge thereof adjacent to said base plate one end; an adjustment plate slidably extendable through said notch, said adjustment plate having a stop means on one side and near one end receivable within said recess; and an adjustment screw extending through said one end of said adjustment plate for engagement with said spring; whereby movement of said screw effects a variation in pressure between the to said base plate near one end thereof, said member having a'raised portion and means defining an opening through said raised portion; a fiat spring disposed between said base plate and the raised portion of said member, and means securing said spring to said base plate and an adjustable plate disposed between said spring and the raised portion of said saddle member; threaded means so associated with said adjustment plate and so disposed within said opening that movement of said threaded means efiects a variation of pressure between the end of the adjustment plate remote from the screw and that portion of said spring contacted thereby;

4. In a shank stifiener securable to the bottom of the shoe sole and adjacent to the heel thereof, the combination comprising: a base plate having a pair of sidewardly extending flanges near one end thereof; a leaf spring secured along and extending beyond the other end of, the base plate;

an elongated saddle member positioned crosswise of said base plate and in substantial register with said sidewardly extending flanges, said saddle member having a raised portion intermediate its ends straddling said spring, the ends of said saddle member being securable to said flanges, said raised portion having means providing an opening therethrough which means are disposed adjacent the raised portion thereof nearest said one end of said base plate; an adjustment plate slidably positioned between said leaf spring and said raised portion; threaded means associated with said adjustment plate and in register with said opening for moving that end of said adjustment plate which is closest to said one end of said base member a selected distance toward said raised portion on said saddle member, whereby movement of said threaded means thereby effects a variation of pressure between said spring and that end of said adjustment plate remote from said threaded means.

CHARLES H. GRIMSHAW.

No references cited. 

